Brian P. Anderson

About

Brian P. Anderson is the Dean and Professor of Optical Sciences at the Wyant College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona. His research involves the study of quantum fluid dynamics and quantum turbulence in dilute-gas Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs), which are superfluid droplets created using laser cooling and atom trapping techniques. Anderson's work focuses on the behavior of microscopic centers of fluid circulation called quantized vortices within BECs, which serve as indicators of superfluid dynamics. He was a member of the research team that first created and observed quantized vortices in BECs in 1999, and since then has been involved in experimental, numerical, and theoretical studies of vortex creation, manipulation, and dynamics in BECs. His current research efforts include developing new methods for vortex generation and manipulation with laser beams, studying the dynamics and statistics of vortices in two-dimensional quantum turbulence, and developing new techniques for observing vortices in BECs. Anderson holds a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Stanford University, an M.S. in Applied Physics from Stanford, and a B.A. in Physics from Rice University. He has received several awards, including being named a Fellow of the American Physical Society and receiving the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in 2004.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Mechanics
• Physics
• Aerospace engineering
• Optics
• Mechanical engineering
• Quantum mechanics
• Condensed matter physics
• Engineering

Selected publications

• Generation of high-winding-number superfluid circulation in Bose-Einstein condensates

  Physical review. A/Physical review, A · 2022 · 12 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  We experimentally and numerically demonstrate a method to generate multiply quantized superfluid circulation about an obstacle in highly oblate Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). We experimentally achieve pinned superflow with winding numbers as high as 11, which persists for at least 4 s. Our method conceptually involves spiraling a blue-detuned laser beam, around and towards the center of the BEC, and is experimentally implemented by moving the BEC in a spiral trajectory around a stationary las…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Scaling dynamics of the ultracold Bose gas

  Physical review. A/Physical review, A · 2022-11-18 · 3 citations

  articleSenior author

  The large-scale expansion dynamics of quantum gases is a central tool for ultracold gas experiments and poses a significant challenge for theory. In this work we provide an exact reformulation of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation for the ultracold Bose gas in a coordinate frame that adaptively scales with the system size during evolution, enabling simulations of long evolution times during expansion or similar large-scale manipulation. Our approach makes no hydrodynamic approximations, is not restri…

  PublisherDOI

• Vortex comb: Eliminating vortices from Bose-Einstein condensates using optical lattices

  Physical review. A/Physical review, A · 2026-01-08

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  In the present work we introduce and explore a technique for the efficient removal of vortices from an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate, through the application and subsequent removal of a one-dimensional optical lattice. We showcase a prototypical experimental realization of the technique that motivates a detailed theoretical study of vortex removal mechanisms. Through simulations of the condensate dynamics during application of the optical lattice, we also discover a vortex removal mechanism th…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Scaling dynamics of the ultracold Bose gas

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2021-12-17

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  The large-scale expansion dynamics of quantum gases is a central tool for ultracold gas experiments and poses a significant challenge for theory. In this work we provide an exact reformulation of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation for the ultracold Bose gas in a coordinate frame that adaptively scales with the system size during evolution, enabling simulations of long evolution times during expansion or similar large-scale manipulation. Our approach makes no hydrodynamic approximations, is not restri…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Time-Dependent Reference Frames

  SPIE eBooks · 2019-09-12

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Turbulence and vortices in two-dimensional Bose gases

  NSF · $489k · 2009–2012

• Two-Dimensional Quantum Turbulence in Bose-Einstein Condensates

  NSF · $540k · 2012–2016

• Atom Optics with Quasi-Two-Dimensional Bose-Einstein Condensates

  NSF · $390k · 2004–2009

Frequent coauthors

• P. C. Haljan

  Simon Fraser University

  38 shared

• Eric Cornell

  Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics

  37 shared

• A. S. Bradley

  35 shared

• Tyler W. Neely

  28 shared

• Carl Wieman

  Stanford University

  27 shared

• Kali Wilson

  University of Arizona

  22 shared

• E. Carlo Samson

  Los Alamos National Laboratory

  20 shared

• M. R. Matthews

  18 shared

Education

• Bachelor of Arts, Physics

  William Marsh Rice University

• PhD, Applied Physics

  Leland Stanford Junior University

Awards & honors

• Fellow, American Physical Society (2013)
• Outstanding Referee, American Physical Society (2011)
• Young Investigator Award, Army Research Office (2004)
• Postdoctoral Research Associateship, National Research Counc…
• Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers…

Similar researchers at University of Arizona

• Neal R. Armstrongh-82
• Jennifer K. Bartonh-41
• Stuart F. Biggarh-36